Arithmetic
by Medraut
Summary: Everyone has to deal with a new addition to the household when Becky brings back a homeless young man.


**Author's Note and Disclaimer: **I don't really know why I'm writing this. It's just one of those things that got into my brain, I guess. And I naturally don't own Full House.

Becky walked up and down the aisles of Hillside Grocery with a plastic basket, looking for the menu of the evening's dinner. Doubtful of the appeal of an inevitably dry pork roast to the rest of the family, she eventually settled on chicken, which she figured Danny would be able to find something to do with. As she was checking the refrigerators for some milk, she noticed a grubby-looking, dark-haired young man tucking a six-pack of beer under his jeans jacket.

"Hey, kiddo," she said. "What do you think you're doing?"

He looked to her with dark, round eyes, wordless. Becky could not tell if he was challenging her or pleading with her.

"I won't tell," she added, so quiet that only he could hear, "as long as you just put it back. Okay?"

He silently slid the six-pack out from under his jacket and set it back into the refrigerator case, then walked towards the exit. He turned and offered Becky a slight nod of acknowledgement, before disappearing out the door onto the street.

Becky did not think anything more of the man while she finished her grocery shopping and checked out at the register. Her one bag of purchases could easily be carried in the crook of her elbow, and Jesse, Joey, Danny and the kids would not return from the park for a while, so she decided to take the long way back to the house and enjoy the pleasant fall sunset. She walked slowly down the sidewalk, enjoying her thoughts while the sun began to dip just below the horizon. A familiar tangle of dark brown hair slouched on a bench suddenly caught Becky's eye. The man whom she had spotted shoplifting sat hunched over with a guitar case leaned by his side and a cigarette hanging out of the corner of his mouth.

"Hello." She tapped him on the shoulder. "I believe we met earlier."

He looked up at her and leaned back on the bench. "What?" he asked.

"Mind if I sit here?"

"Uh, sure. Go ahead."

Becky sat down beside him and set her bag of groceries on her lap. "What's your name?"

"Jimmy."

"I'm Becky." She extended a hand, which he shook. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"You have been," he said, sounding bored, as he tapped the ash off his cigarette.

"Is there any particular reason," she asked nervously, "why you were trying to steal that stuff?"

"I gotta." Jimmy shrugged. "I got nothin'. How else am I supposed to survive?"

"Are you –?"

"What? Broke? A bum? Homeless? Yeah. Don't get your undies in a knot about it."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It ain't your fault."

Becky did not know what more to say. She wanted to say something, but she had no idea what. Jimmy glanced around and took a draw on his cigarette. The growl of his stomach broke the silence.

"You hungry?" Becky suddenly asked.

"Well, yeah."

"If you want, you could come over for dinner, or something."

"Normally," Jimmy laughed, "I don't take pity offers. But today I'm starving, so I'll take you up on that, if you don't mind."

"We're just a couple blocks away. Come on."

Jimmy flicked aside his cigarette butt, slung his guitar over his shoulder, and followed Becky up the street to the Tanner's house. She unlocked the door and let went inside, showing him the way to the kitchen.

"Have a seat," she said, as she put the groceries away. "Make yourself comfortable. What would you like to eat? If you want to eat now, it could be a bit until dinner. I don't think we have any leftovers, but there's always cereal. Or maybe…"

"Cereal's fine, thanks," he said absently, looking around the room.

Becky poured Jimmy a large bowl of cereal and milk and set it in front of him. He immediately began eating, mumbling a thanks between mouthfuls. Before Becky was able to say anything else, she was interrupted by the clacking of the opening front door.

"We're back," Jesse's voice called from the living room. "Ya here, Becky?"

"I'm in the kitchen," she replied, and looked up to see her husband, Joey, and Danny with puzzled expressions on their faces.

"Who's this?" Danny asked.

"Oh, this is Jimmy…" Becky paused, realizing that she did not know his last name.

"Ramirez," he confirmed.

"I met him when I was out today," she continued, "and offered him a meal here." They still looked skeptical. "I'll explain in the other room. Jimmy, you just wait here and finish eating."

The four of them went into the living room and shut the door to the kitchen behind them.

"So, what's going on?" Jesse asked.

"As I said, I met him in the store, and then recognized him later when I was walking home." She left out the fact that when she encountered Jimmy, he was shoplifting. "So I sat and talked to him for a minute. I felt bad for him, I guess, so I invited him over. You see, he's homeless."

"You invited a homeless guy to our house?" Danny asked, incredulous.

"I don't know; something about him just struck me. And he seems nice enough."

"But still, Beck…" Jesse said.

"Why don't you guys go and actually talk to him for a little, huh? Are Nicky and Alex upstairs? I'm going to go check up on them. You go talk to Jimmy."

They went back into the kitchen, and Becky left the three men there with Jimmy while she headed up the stairs. Joey shrugged a silent "why not" and the three of them sat down at the table. Jimmy, who was just finishing his last spoonful of cereal, glanced nervously from one face to the next.

"Hi," he said.

Danny, Jesse, and Joey each offered an awkward, monosyllabic greeting.

"Well?" Jimmy asked. "You look like you're going to say something."

"No, nothing in particular," Joey dodged.

"Becky told you about me, huh?"

"Yeah," said Danny. "A little. How old are you? Um, Jimmy, is it?"

"That's right. And I'm nineteen."

"So, you're out of school, then?"

"Yeah. But I dropped out a few years ago."

"I did too," Jesse said, under Joey's uncomfortable sideways glance. "I quit in order to pursue my music. I just started to go back a little while ago."

"I kinda had to. I got kicked outta my house, and I just couldn't manage it. But school wasn't really my thing anyway."

None of the three sitting opposite him had a response. Jimmy buckled under the pitying weight of their stares. He sighed and pushed his chair back.

"Well, I guess I'm outta here," he resigned, setting his guitar back up on his shoulder and standing up. "Thanks for the food. And tell Becky thanks, too, will you?"

Danny, Jesse, and Joey looked at each other as Jimmy headed for the door. "Wait!" They each called out in varying tones. Jimmy turned back to them.

"Listen," Danny said. "I can't just let you go and… I'd feel awful. I think we all would."

"I don't need pity. Really," said Jimmy.

"We've got room here, and you don't have anywhere to stay. Even if you don't think you need it, it would make us feel better."

"Yeah," Joey put in. "Danny here's a big feeler, you know what I mean. And I agree with him, too."

"All right," Jimmy laughed and shrugged. "Why not? I guess it'd be pretty dumb of me to turn down a roof over my head."


End file.
